Twelve
by MThorneMichigan
Summary: This chapter story takes place The Walking Dead season 4 finale left off with the twelve survivors trapped in a boxcar. A build up of emotions come to a head as they try and deal with their current situation. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Twelve

Chapter one

The air was thick in the boxcar. The confines and the tightness of the area was only part of reason for this trapped feeling Daryl was sure they all felt. He settled himself, back against a wall. His body welcoming the support as he waited. For what though he had no idea.

Days have passed since the prison fell. Daryl was relieved to see Rick, Michonne and Carl had survived. And, here in this prison of a boxcar were others, Glenn and Maggie, Sasha and Bob. It was such a relief to him to see them. They survive it. And it was so good to be together with them.

Why is it then did Daryl Dixon wish he was dead?

_"__They're fuckin' with the wrong people." _ Rick's statement just hung there. Suspended by the thickness of the air in that boxcar. The silence that followed only increased its tension. The last time they been together as a group was the prison. Before that bastard tore through those walls; before that fucking animal killed Hershel.

Daryl looked at Maggie, but quickly he looked away. He couldn't bear to look at her. '_How does he tell he lost Beth?' _And Michonne? She wanted to hunt the sick fuck down instead of supporting; helping her, he stopped her. She was right. That shit that went down on them. That was on him.

All of it.

Daryl looked at other in the group. Glenn's group had others. Two women and two men. One of the women looked familiar to him. Glenn referred to them as friends. Daryl hoped they would be able to count on them. He surveyed the group again. Disgusted, he pushed himself away from the wall and moved to the back of the boxcar. He didn't want the others to see him. See him lose control. Ass kicker wasn't with them.

Daryl tried to draw in breath but couldn't. The amount of rage pent up inside him prevented him from doing so. He pounded the butt of his fist into the wall of the boxcar. A thundering sound reverberated throughout the car. Everyone turned to him. He coiled back his arm for another blow, squaring his knuckled fist to the confining wall. The blow was thwarted as a set of arms clutched onto his. Daryl followed through causing Michonne's to be swung against the wall. This sent the two of them to fall to the floor.

"Whoa! Calm down everyone! Let's just calm down and try to get a handle on this."

Rick tried to put the group at ease. Saying something about needed to stay focus or something to that effect. Daryl drew in a wavering breath now. It was such a struggle for him.

"I'm sorry" he said quietly to Michonne. Rick began to pace and spoke to the rest of the group. Daryl was oblivious to others, lost in his inner hell.

"Hey, it's okay." Michonne replied. "Just hang…"

"Sorry about it all. What happened at the prison?" In the darkness of the boxcar. Michonne couldn't see his tears. "You were right."

Michonne didn't say anything. Her hand rested on his arm as they sat side by side.

He continued quietly, softly. Michonne was stunned. She sat there and listened.

"I stopped you. You wanted to look for him but I stopped you." Daryl's voice crack as he spoke. "If I hadn't that bastard wouldn't have taken you and ..." Daryl stopped. Michonne could tell now he was crying.

Michonne put her arm around Daryl and pulled him close. He resisted. She moved in closer. Whispering in his ear she "shh-ed" him. She held him now, calmly stroking his hair. He apologized over and over.

Michonne's heart ached for him She had never seen Daryl like this. It had been days since the fall of the prison and he was carrying all this. She knew now it wasn't the place or time for blame but she did think back at all that had happen and Daryl was holding himself responsible for all of it.

"Daryl you can't do this. It is too much bear." Michonne tried calm him. "We need to find a way out here and you need help us."

They didn't need this. Not now. He nodded and pulled away from her. He leaned back against the wall. A ray of light spilled into the box car from a crack in the top panel. It fell upon Daryl's battered face, reminding her of the beating he took the night before when the two men jumped him. Daryl stood up to them, fought for them. Daryl being there saved their lives last night. Those wounds were evident but the beating he was giving himself was doing the most damage.

"We lost so much, Michonne."

"You found us Daryl. And we are with the others now."

Daryl shook his head. "Not everyone."

"They still may be out there. When we get out of here we'll see if we can find them." Michonne took his hand and stood up. "Come on, Daryl. Help us get through this."

Daryl stood and quietly, they joined the others.

"What is this? Who are these people?" Glenn asked Rick. They kept their voices low.

"We got here by following signs to this place. 'Those who arrive, Survive'. How long have you been here?"

"Maybe a day…day in half? Maggie replied "It's hard to tell. We were able to walk right in. The place looked deserted. The gunfire…what happened out there?"

We came in… hopping a fence. No one was in the yard. We found some people in a building. There was a woman in there broadcasting."

Bob stepped forward and join them. "I believe this is the group who was broadcasting on radio…" He turn to Daryl and Michonne "…on the med run we went on."

Rick nodded and continued on.

"They asked us to set down our weapons and they checked us for weapons."

"But they gave back what we were carrying."

"They did the same with us." Glenn added.

No one spoke. It was as if they waited for Rick to process this information or were bewildered by their situation. The tall man in the group walked the side of the box car and peeked through a crack in the panel. Rick followed the movement of this new member in the group, his scrutiny didn't go unnoticed by Glenn.

"That's Abraham. This is Eugene, Tara and Rosita." Glenn continued with the introduction. As he did so Rick kept his focus on Tara. It occurred Daryl, also Michonne, who she was. She was a member of the Governor group. The others in the group he never saw before, but her…Rick's gaze was fixated on her. Glenn stepped in front Tara, shielding her from Rick. Michonne took a step forward but Daryl touched her arm, stopping her from going further.

"They helped me find Maggie and the others." Glenn added. Rick shifted his stare to Maggie who, from her expression, seemed lost by the exchange. That day at the prison, Maggie, most likely stunned by seeing her father was taken captive, was oblivious to others in the group.

"This was a trap!" Rick blurted out. "A set-up and we walked right into it!" Rick became frantic. He took a pace, back and forth and then stopped. "A damn fucking trap," Rick lunged at Tara. "and she's behind it!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Twelve**

**Chapter Two**

Chaos erupted in the boxcar. Abraham, Eugene and Rosita back themselves into a corner as Rick jumped on Tara. Glenn was in between the two,

"Get off her!" "Back off, Rick!" He yelled.

Michonne, taking her cue from Rick followed in the attack.

"Michonne! Stop!" Glenn struggled to hold them back; to protect Tara.

Maggie and Bob tried to restrain her while Daryl, Carl and Sasha tried to pry Rick off Glenn and Tara.

"Jesus!" Abraham shouted as he and Rosita shielded Eugene from the fray.

"Looks like we ended up in the baggage car of this train wreck" Eugene observed from between them. "What the hell happened?

"Dunno but this isn't gunna help us." answered Rosita.

Moments later the fracas ended. Tara, who managed to free herself was balled up in the other corner of the boxcar. Glenn, again shielding her, struggling to catch his breath. The others stood opposite of him restraining Rick and Michonne

"She was there!" Rick yanked his arm free from Sasha's grip. Sasha gazed shifted from Glenn to Tara to Rick

"There?" Sasha asked.

"With the Governor. She's a part of his group." Rick shook himself free of Daryl and Carl's hold. Maggie's jaw dropped as she released her grip from Michonne. Her eyes fixated on the Tara. She slowly moved toward her.

"Maggie." Glenn moved in between Maggie and Tara. "Maggie! She didn't know he would do any of that. She…" Maggie pushed Glenn out of the way and started pounding Tara with her fists. Tara tried to fight back but couldn't Glenn, Sasha and Bob pulled Maggie off Tara.

"Maggie, she didn't know!" Glenn asserted. Maggie turned to Glenn, seething that he was protecting her. With her free arm she went to slap Glenn, but it was Daryl who stopped her.

"It's not her fault, Daryl's eye meet hers "It's mine. It's my fault." She relaxed her arm and he let go of it. He looked at the others. They stood there looking at him. "Michonne wanted to look for him. I convinced her to stop. She was right to…

…right to go after that Sumo'bitch" Daryl walked to the back of the boxcar and then back up the Maggie. Tears in his eyes. His voice cracked as he spoke "It's on me. The loss of the prison, your dad's death, Beth, ass kicker…

"Beth? Beth's dead?" She implied

"Judith?"

"I dunno. She gone. Beth made it out of the prison with me. I… I lost her." Daryl looked away unable to bear the look she gave him. "We got overrun by a herd. She had twisted ankle earlier and… and I wanted her to get ahead of it." He stopped. He shook and hung his head. "I found her pack…but some car was driving off." He paused and looked at her. "It's on me…all of it."

The silence was more deafening then the fight that had broken out. Daryl could feel all eyes were on them. In the shadowy darkness of the boxcar Daryl could not see all them but he knew, and felt, all eyes were on him.

"Judith? Was she with Beth?" Carl asked. His voice was tight and seething with anger.

"No. No…it was just me and Beth."

"But you said 'ass kicker'? Why?" Carl moved toward Daryl, steeling himself to confront him.

"At the prison, Beth wanted to find her. I told her we had to go."

Carl's fist connected with Daryl, hitting him squarely in the jaw. He pushed Daryl into the wall and continued hitting him. Daryl didn't fight him but others came to pull Carl off of him.

"Enough!" Glenn shouted. "We have to stop this. We need to stop fighting each other. Michonne was holding Carl as he wept. "Look. Beth could still be alive. So could Judith." Carl and Rick looked at Glenn in disbelief. "I didn't know if Maggie was alive. Look at us, though. Many of us got out of there. Others still maybe alive.

"He's right! Bob add. He took Sasha hand. There may be others still out there."

Rick nodded and moved to his son. "It's possible, Carl" he gripped his son's shoulder and gave it firm squeeze. This is all just...buildup. It's the first time we been together since the prison. We have to focus on the here and now."

"Sound like a plan." Abraham agreed. As things had settled down, Rosita, Eugene and him joined the others.

"Who are you again?" Rick asked cautiously

"Abraham Ford. We…um, we were on our way to DC. We met Glenn and Tara on road." Abe extended his hand to Rick. Rick didn't shake it.

"Why are you going to DC?" Michonne asked, her arm still around Carl.

"Eugene here, we're bringing him there. He knows what cause this…sickness."

Michonne and Rick looked to each other.

"Their truck was destroyed. They decided to travel with us." Glenn added. He could see Rick was being cautious. "They saw the signs when we did."

"Well, then, you won't mind answering a couple of questions."

(Chapter Three coming soon)


End file.
